Process of obtaining potash salts from seaweed.



11. s. FIRMAN, 113cm.

, W. S. FIRKAN, ADMINISTRATOR; PROCESS OF OBTAINING POTASH SALTSIROM SEAWEED.

APPLICATION FILED P113. 5, 1910.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

Z Uen or- .1 I AdnwzisMr PROCEQS OF OBTAINING Specification of Letters Patent.

POTASH SALTS FROM SEAWEED.

Patented Nov. 28, 1911.

. Applicatioli filed February 5, 1910. Serial No. 542,324..

To all whom it may concern:

,Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. FmMAn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, and the administrator of the estate of HENRY S. F'IRMAN, deceased, a citizen of the United States, who resided, at San Diego, in the"coun ty, of. San Diego and, State of California, and 'that said HENRYIS. FIRMAN did invent a new anduseful Process of Obtaining Potash Saltsfrom Seaweed, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for'the purposeof producing potash salts, phosphoric acid,'potassic phos hate, etc., by a new and cheap method, rom sea-weed or other organic'material.

()ne' object of the invention is to produce the potash salt in a coherent dense form especially .adapted for commercial purposes, as fertilizer, etc.

The-process comprisesas essential steps calcination or incineration of the sea-weed with or without bones or phosphate rock by the combustion of the sea-weed inv a suitable chamber or retort, with or without'more or less restriction of the air supply according to the result desired. It is preferred to restrict the air sup ly so that the combustion goes on slowly, and the heat is maintained at a temperature say 700 to 900 F. suflicient for the combustion of the carbonaceous material,

but insufficient to cause any substantial loss of the potash salts; the moderate temperature, and the confinement of the material in the chamber during combustion, serving to retain substantially-all the 'otash in the material. When the combustion has been carried to the desired point, the product, while still hot is treated with water or acid solution, orsaline solution, as hereinafter described, to cause the product to set into clinker; Sea-weed and other organic material when treated in this manner yields a product containing a considerable proportion of potassium salts, and also some phos-.

horic acid, and also some iodin, (-iodid and iodate of potassium). In order to increase the percentage-of potash (K 0) in the prod-. not, it is preferred to use for the wetting down of the hot mass, for the urpose of forming the clinker, as hereinbe ore stated,

a solution containing potash salts, with or the a charging hole.

'without other salts or alkali material. This solution may be used at any temperature. It

I is preferred to use it at a temperature of about 212 F.

The accompanying drawings illustrate .an

apparatus suitable for carrying out the process.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the furnace. Fig. 3 is. a horizontal section on the line m.a2 Fig. 1.

The furnace comprises a fire box or base 1,

formed with the combustion chamber 2, and with fire doors 3 for controlling communication to said combustion chamber from the outside of the furnace, a grate 4; being provided at the bottom of said combustion chamber and supported over an ash pit 6. An upward extension 7 from the combustion chamber 2 is formed'preferably with a hollow wall 5' constituting a water jacket in which water or solution may be heated for evaporation or for other-purposes connected with the process. A sheet metaltubular. body or retort 8 extends upwardly from the chamber 7 and is provided at its upper end with a charging hole 9 having a cover-9, and an outlet 10, said outlet having a valve or damper 11 provided with an operating handle 11. Ash pit 6 is formed as a runway for a truck 12, for receiving the ash, and is provided'with doors 13, for closing the same to the required extent during the burning operation. tank 14 is provided at any 'convenientlocation into which the contents of the truck 12 may be dumped, and means, such -as a pipe 15 communicating with the tank or hollow wall 5, may be rovided for supplying water to said tank-said pipe preferably having a spray nozzle 16 to snrav liquid on to the, contents of the tank. Tank 5 has charging openings 17.

.The process may be used for the production of potash salts, phosphoric acid, potassic phosphate, iodin, iodid and iodate of potassium,'etc., from various organic materials, preferably sea-weed in the following mannerz-The raw material is first dried, by exposure to. the sun and air, or by any suitable method. It is then placed in the upper portion of the furnace through When desired to increase'the percentage of phosphoric acid in the product organlc or inorgan c material is added, such as bones of commerce, hos hate rock, or any material containing p osp oric acid before or during combustion. When the furnace, is filled the charglng hole is closed and the damper is opened. As soon as the fire is well started from the bottom,

the damper is'nearly closed and the door 13 is also nearly closed so that the admission of air is restricted and "thecombustion proceeds slowly, with just sufiicient heat to gradually consume substantially all or thegreater'part of the carbonaceous substance in the material undergoing treatment, withrun into the ash piteforethe bu'rnin operation and is inclosed by closing the oors 13,'and the grate is preferably a dumpgrate, so as to allow the ashes to be quickly dumped into the truck, which is hot by reason of its inclosure within the ash pit, and the ashes are thus delivered to the tank 14 while still retaining the temperature of the furnace, thereby producing most eflicient action of the water or concentrating solution in the wetting operation. It is preferred to employ for this purpose water carrying pot-- ash salts in solutlon. The solution may contain other salts in addition to potash salts and may consist of sea-water or saline solution, either natural or produced by lixiviation, or a solution formed from sea-water or saline solution, by evaporation, or concentration, to which sea-water, salt-water, or fresh-water, or other material'containing potash or phos h'oric acid, or both, may or may not be ad ed before or during concentration or evaporation. The tank or water jacket surrounding the combustion chamber" may be conveniently used to heat the water or solution to desired temperature for wetting down the ash for the purpose, of ob taining the desired chemical reaction, and for forming the clinker. The saline solution may be produced by lixiviatin a p0rtion or batch of the clinker, the resu ting solution being used as a concentrating and setting solution for another portion or batch of the clinker. v

A suitable solution for the purpose may consist, for example of potassium chlorid, sodium chlorid, so ium sulfate, and sodium carbonate, dissolved in water; The following maybe given as a suitable working range for the solution. KCl' 10 to 35, NaCl 30 to 5,Na,S(), 2 to 8, Na,CO 8 to 2,

50. The concentration of the fluid 'tained in the residue and the may, however, be varied considerably, say

from 20 per cent. to 80 per cent. of water,

in place of 50 er cent. as above given.

When the as has been treated as above described, it is in-the form of a hard coherent clinker, of great density. This clinker is an article of great valueon account of its high potash content. This prodnot is adapted for usein the manufacture of various potash productions, and also for use in-the manufacture of fertilizers. fore using it for the above purposes it is-preferred to pulverize it. When it is desired to produce certain kinds of fertilizers,imore or less phosphoric acid. or substances containing phosphoric acid-may be added to the clinker, or to the sea-weed before-carbonization or before .or after pulverization, according to the product or fertilizer desired. 'In case it. is desired to recover iodin from the clinker, this may be done by the usual method of obtaining iodin from ashes containing same.

'What I claim is:-- 4 y 1. The process of producing and concentrating material containing potash from or-v ganic substances containing potassium compounds which comprises causing slow combustion of the organic matter in a chamber, while so restricting the admission of air and outflow of products of combustion from the chamber that the temperature is maintained at such a point that substantially all of the potash content of the organic matter is reeater portion of the carbonaceous content is burned away,

and subsequently treating the residue from the combustion with water, while the residue is still sufiiciently hot to cause the residue to clinker.

2. The process of producing and concentrating material containing potash from organic substances containing potassium compounds which comprises causing slow combustion of-the organic matter in a chamber, while so restricting the admission of air and outflow of products of combustion from the chamber that the temperature is maintained at such a point that substantially all of the potash content of the organic matter is retained in the residue and the greater portion of the carbonaceous content is burned away, and subsequently treating the residue from the combustion with water containing potash salts in solution, while the residue is still sufficiently hot' to ,cause. the residue to set to clinker.

3. The process of producing and concentrating material containing potash from organic substances containing potassium compounds which comprises causing slow comustion of-the organic matter in a chamber, while-sorestricting the admission of air and outflow of products of combustion from the chamber that the temperature is maintained at such a point that substantially all of the potash content of the organic matter is retained in the residue and the greater portion of the carbonaceous content is burned' away, and subsequently treating the residue from 'the combustion with water containing salts of alkali metals including potassium,

while the residue is still sufiiciently hot to cause the residue to clinker.

4. The process of-producing and concentrating material containing potash and phosphoric acid from sea-weed which consists in causing slow combustion of the seaweed in a chamber While so restricting the admission of air and outflow of products of combustion from the chamber that the temperature is maintained at such a point that substantially all of the potash content of the sea-weed is retained in the residue and the greater portion of the carbonaceous content is burned away, and subsequently treating the residue from combustion, with water,

while theresidue is still sufliciently hot to a cause the residue to clinker.

5. The process of producing material containing potash and phosphoric acid from p of the sea-weed and material containing phosphoric acid, WhlCll consists in mcloslng in a chamber dry sea-weed together with other material containing phosphoric acid, subjecting, the sea-Weed and material containing phosphoric acid while so inclosed to slow combustion while so restricting the admission of air and the outflow of the products of combustion that the temperature is maintained at such a point that substantially all potash content of the sea-weed is retained in the residue and the greater portion of the carbonaceous content is burned away, and subse uently treating the residue with water, whlle the residue is still sufliciently hot to cause the residue to clinker. I

-In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 20th day of J anuary,'l910.

WILLIAM s. FIRMAN, Administrator of the estate of Henry S.

' Firman, deceased.

In presence of v F. MrTOVNSEND, THEO. LOHMAN. 

